I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 153

Leon’s bright eyes were the main reason she rejected their offer.

He waited for her outside the door whenever she went to the bathroom or ventured into the living room after a nightmare.

“You have to wake me up when you go to the bathroom or move around at night. If you fall, you could be in trouble.”

He would even remember the food she told herself would be good and make it for her.

 

At first, Evelyn had been touched by his attentiveness, but as the days passed, discomfort settled in.

‘You shouldn’t get too used to his kindness. You never know what’s going to happen to people.’

Even so, there were moments—like now, when hunger struck in the middle of the night—that she missed Leon terribly.

If nothing else, Leon had been the best cook among the three of them: Bernard, Evelyn, and himself.

 

“Oh, I’m hungry.”

 

Evelyn wasn’t someone with a voracious appetite by nature.

‘There’s nothing more awkward than being asked what my favorite food is.’

But right now, nothing was harder than suppressing the gnawing hunger in her stomach.

 

“Let’s see if we can find something to eat.”

 

She lit a candle and lifted the lid of the pot, remembering the leftover chicken soup from the night before.

But the pot was empty. She cringed at the sight of its bare interior.

“Oh, right. I got hungry before bed and forgot I’d already finished it.”

 

‘Oh no, I’m still hours away from breakfast at Mrs. Allen’s.’

 

“Baby, can you hold it?” she asked, patting her stomach.

 

But as time passed, the hunger only grew louder. A lump rose in her throat, making her feel sick.

Evelyn sulked and stared out the window in silence.

Through the deserted streets, she could see steam rising from the chimney of the bakery at the mouth of the alley.

‘Just a few steps from here…’

‘Okay, I wonder what’s going on.’

 

Evelyn slipped into her rumpled robes, armed herself, and crept quietly down the stairs.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The bakery was empty, likely due to the early hour. The baker watched her intently as she selected her bread.

When Evelyn grabbed a few loaves and headed for the register, the woman spoke as if she’d been waiting.

 

“Have you been traveling?”

“No.”

“Then you’re visiting relatives? I didn’t hear that someone new moved in.”

 

Evelyn’s face tingled unnecessarily, even though she hadn’t done anything wrong.

She replied nonchalantly, hoping to end the uncomfortable conversation quickly.

“Oh, I just came to my aunt’s house for a little break.”

“Yeah, I thought it was curious. You don’t look like you belong in this neighborhood.”

 

Surprised by the comment, Evelyn rolled her eyes and glanced at the mirror attached to the register.

She was completely wrapped in a dark robe.

‘Why is she saying that when she can’t even see my face?’

 

Her heart pounded, and a cold sweat broke out. Her mind raced, searching for a response.

‘Oh no, I must have said something wrong.’

 

The woman handed her a bag of bread with a broad smile.

“Don’t worry about it. I only said that because we businesspeople recognize the shape of a customer’s hand.”

“Oh, right.”

 

The baker must have noticed her confusion. Evelyn’s tense shoulders relaxed as she realized the woman was an insachire—a merchant with a keen eye for detail.

Evelyn patted her chest and pulled money from her pocket.

“I’ll come back another time.”

“Okay, bye.”

 

After leaving the bakery, Evelyn wandered through the bustling early-morning market.

She had planned to buy bread and return home, but the encounter left her unsettled.

‘I’m still in hiding.’

But with a child on the way, she couldn’t stay like this forever.

 

“With the road to the sea blocked, there’s no point staying here any longer.”

‘It would be better for the child’s sake if we traveled to find a proper home.’

“Let’s ask Reah for a map.”

 

‘We’ll be full soon. We should move before then.’

 

Evelyn bought fragrant strawberries and apricots before quickening her pace.

“Come on, let’s go home and eat.”

 

All the way home, she was so lost in thought about where to go next that she didn’t notice the black shadow trailing behind her.

 

“Aah!”

 

At the mouth of the alley near Mrs. Allen’s shop, someone grabbed her shoulder.

With a snap, the bag of strawberries fell, spilling its contents across the ground.

“Whoa—!”

 

Evelyn frowned and looked up—then froze at the face of the person who had turned her around.

 

 

* * *

 

 

An Inn at the Entrance to Bellatra

 

“She’s gone too, so what the hell is wrong?”

 

A woman’s piercing scream echoed from the innermost room of the shabby second floor.

“What else am I supposed to do here to get you to look out for me?”

 

Clang!

 

A vase filled with murky water rolled across the floor. The cramped, foul-smelling room grew even filthier under Deborah’s tantrum.
But before she realized it, she had lost control.

She was teetering on the edge of madness.

 

“You bastard! You act like I’m going to carve out your liver and gallbladder!”

 

Even after the oracle was announced and the holy relics were delivered, Kalian remained unmoved.

She had hoped that once the grand duchess was gone, things would improve—but instead, they had taken a stranger turn.

Now, he had ordered her to travel to Bellatra for a purification ritual. It was a demand she could never fulfill if he truly loved her.

 

‘I’m the god’s chosen one! So why is he losing his mind over her?’

 

She had waited for the day they would be united, and now he was casting her aside, sending her away while he devoted himself to another.

‘Had I never been anything more than a tool to him?’

 

Deborah bit her nails anxiously.

Her raw fingertips bled, but she felt no pain.

‘I wish I could hear something reassuring.’        

                                                            

The memory of his silence weighed heavily on her chest.

 

Just then, whispers drifted from the neighboring room where the priests were staying.

 

“By the way, is there any problem with the holy power?”

“Well, she was energetic when we broke the enchantment on the relic, but now she’s back to her old self.”

“Ha! In this state, going to Bellatra won’t do any good—she’ll just be laughed at.”

“That’s why we’re here. Maybe if we put our heads together, we can come up with something clever.”

 

The old inn’s thin walls carried every word. Deborah covered her ears, but their voices rang like tinnitus.

 

“So why did she accept this job in the first place?”

“Are you still expecting her to think normally?”

“Shh, be quiet. I’m afraid she’ll hear.”

 

‘Normal thinking? Are they saying I’ve lost my mind?’

 

Deborah’s head spun. The priests’ disbelief only worsened the storm already raging inside her.

 

‘Of course, Kalian takes credit for every miracle in the Empire. If I’d known this would happen, I’d have preferred to stay powerless.’

 

Now, the saint was merely a symbol—a tool to prove the gods’ existence and unite the people.

The temple thrived on fear, ensuring people turned to the divine for salvation.

 

‘If I’d stayed quiet, I’d have been halfway to victory. But now, thanks to the Grand Duke’s meddling, I’m in this mess!’

 

Deborah gnawed at her nails, blaming everything on Kalian.

Frustration brought tears to her eyes as she wondered how things had come to this.

 

Then, a realization struck.

 

‘No matter how I look at it, Kalian did this to humiliate me publicly. So what do I do?’

 

She could return to the capital—but Deborah wanted to ensure the Archduchess had no place left to stand.

 

Just then, inspiration struck.

 

“Oh my god, I’ve got an idea!”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Meanwhile, It was Ines who had found Evelyn.

 

Evelyn had led her straight to the living quarters, deeming it unsafe to speak outside.

 

Now that Ines had tracked her down, hiding her location was pointless.

 

 

“Here you go. I dropped a few, but I washed them. They should be fine.”

 

Evelyn placed a plate of strawberries on the table.

Ines stared at them, expressionless and silent.

 

Uncertain where to begin, Evelyn asked,

“How did you know where I was? Leon couldn’t have told you.”

 

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake.

Ines had always known where she was.

As a merchant, she had delivered the Horn of Iblis—the curse’s ingredient—and led her to Muriel, home of the Magic Guild.

 

A more pressing question surfaced.

 

“Ines… what is your true identity?”